Improved track-laying machine for railroads



l longitudinal section.

UNITED STATES ATIENT OFFICE.v

VILLIAM D. ROBERTSON, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA. A

IMPROVED TRACK-LAYING MACHINE FOR RAILROADS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent N0. 82,350, dated September 22, 1868.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM D. ROBERT- SON, of the city and county ot' San Francisco, State of California, have invented a new and useful Machine for Laying Railroad-Tracks; and I do hereby declare the following description and accompanying drawings are sufficient to enable any person skilled in the art or science to which itmostnearlyappertains to make and use my said invention or improvements without further invention orexperiment;

The nature of my invention consists in the manner ot' loading the ties and rails for railroad-tracks on common platform-cars,of hauling forward the loads from one carto another and up to the rear end of the machine, the passing of the material, ties, and rails from the rear of the machine to their respective places forward, and preparing the track for the passage of engines-and cars over it..

To enable others skilled in mechanics to construct and use my invention, I will proceed to describe its construction and operation.

Referring to the drawings, Figure l is a side elevation of the machine and oneplatform-car loaded with rails and ties. Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the machine. Fig. 3 is a Fig. 4 is a plan of the machine and one loaded car. Fig. 5 is a section of the machine on an enlarged scale, to show solne parts ot' the machine plainer than in the other drawings. Fig. 6 is a cross-section of the machine.

The frame (tu, supported by the wheels` b b b b', fixed to the shaft c c, carries the steamboiler a! and the steam-engines d d', by which, with their proper connections and the cranks c e', motion is imparted to the shaftf. (Shown in the plan.)

On the shaftf are fixed the screw g and pulley g, Fig. 4. The screw or worm engages with the wheel h, Figs: 1 and 5, which, with the bevel-wheels k k, is fixed onthe longitudinal shaft i t. The bevel-gear wheel c'engageswith the bevel-wheel z and the bevelwheel 7c engages with the bevel-wheel a, being fixed on the shaft c, and the wheel z to the shaft c. By means of these connections between the steam-engines d d and the drivingwheels b b b b a slow forward motion is given to the machine, which draws with it a number of properly arranged platformcars, loaded with thenecessary material furla-yin g thetrack in advance ofthe machine.

n is a projecting frame, connecting with a small platform at its outer end, the rear end supported by and connected with the frame c ofthe main body of the machine by the hinge and pin n. y The forward end is supported by the frame o and connected with it by thev pin or king-bolt o. The frame o is supported by the wheels g q', 1 r', s s', and s, around which.'

runs the endless chain pp. These wheels and chains may be left free to roll by the pushing ofthe machine, or may be driven ata uniform speed with it by means of a tumbling-rod or other mechanical device driven by the engines.

t is a feed-roller fixed upon the same shaft with the wheel u, and driven from the shaft c by means of the wheel u and a belt or endless chain from u to a', or otherwise.

v is a channel or trough with small rollers in the bottom, extending on an incline from the feed-roller t and the friction-roller u to the platform n at the forward end of the frame n, projecting from the trame a c.

c and fu are sets of revolving cutters fixed to the shaft 01', and set in motion by means of the pulley g on the shaftfby means of the belt w, the pulleys w w, the belt 10', and the pulley 20, tixedto the cutter-shaft 22.

:c represents a common platform-car loaded with ties and rails, supported by the rollers w rv, which may either be xed by journals and bearings to the car orleftloose to roll on the platform.v The rails are loaded on these rollers on either side of the car, leaving a space in the middle the width of the boiler-supports, so as to permit the running of the rails from the platform-car all at once onto the rollers on the machine. On and across the rails on each platform-car are loaded suflicient ties to receive the number of rails on the load.

Ilftmncr of working the machine-The ties from the platform-car x next to the machine are fed in endwisel between the feed Aand friction rollers into the channel or trough and pushed forward to the platform atthe extreme front of the machine, where they are turned across the lille of the machine, and are properly placed at suitable intervals on the ground in front of the chain-pulleys, so that as the machine advances the chains p p and the rollers q t s s' s", around which it revolves, may retain thempin position, while the critters o c trim them the width of the rail or chair to a uniform height for `the reception of the rails. As the ties are being placed to receive the rails one rail on each side is run forward on theinclined series of rollers on the machine, and kept in readiness by pulleys on the davits or cranes A A to be deposittd on the prepared ties as required. This operation is repeated until the supply of rails on the machine is eX- hausted, by which time the supply of ties on the forward platform-car is also exhausted. Then the rails from the forward car are run forward on the rollers on the machine, and then the load on the next platform-car of the supply-train is hauled forward by a rope and hooks or grappling-irons onto the car nearest the machine by means of a capstan on the machine run by the engines, and which capstau may be thrown in or out of gear and placed in any desirable position on the machine.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim7 and desire to secure by Letters Patent,

krails and ties, the engines a a, mounted on the central car, substantially as described.

2. The shaftf, with the screw g, actuating the trucks b b by the beveled gear k' l', or their equivalents, substantially as described.

3. The pulley u on the rear truck-axle of the engine, for driving the friction-rollers which carry the ties to the incline trough beneath the boiler of the engine, substantially as described.

4.. The friction-rollers t and u, in combination with the channel or trough e, substan tially as and for the purpose specified.

5. The pulleys g and the belts w and 20', or equivalent devices, for actuating the cutters, substantially as described.

6. Carrying the rails forward at each side of the boiler and lowering' them tothe road-bed by the davits A A, sub itantially as described.

7. The rollers g q r 1" s s s 8', the endless chains p p, or equivalent device, for pressing down and holding the ties while the cutters trim them, substantially as described.

8. The cutters e n for leveling and trimming the ties to receive the rails, constructed and operating substantially as described.

In witness whereof l have hereunto set my hand and seal.

WILLIAM DAYIDSON ROBERTSON.

Witnesses:

Gao. FAULKNER, I.. G. OoRsoN. 

